<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The New Ways of the Old Days by MegaFreeman</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24223846">The New Ways of the Old Days</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaFreeman/pseuds/MegaFreeman'>MegaFreeman</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Saints Row</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Female Protagonist, Female-Centric, Femslash, Femslash February, Femslash February 2020, First Dates, Fluff, Love, Marriage, POV First Person, Post-Canon, Prom, Relationship(s), Romance, Saints Row IV, Same-Sex Marriage, The Williams Universe, Time Travel, Time Travelling Lesbians, post-Saints Row IV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:54:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24223846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaFreeman/pseuds/MegaFreeman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thank you all for clicking in. This short piece was originally going to be my contribution to the Femslash February 2020, but as my depression struck, I was unable to actually do something productive with it, hence being this late.</p><p>The story is told in the first person, from Shaundi's perspective, as she recalls her past, and uses the best moments of her youth to surprise The Boss (Lina Williams). Setting is post-SRIV, as both of them are married and rule the universe together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Boss/Shaundi (Saints Row), Female Boss &amp; Shaundi (Saints Row), Female Boss/Shaundi (Saints Row)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The New Ways of the Old Days</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My whole life I thought I was never deserving of love. I never dreamed that I would one day have a beautiful wife to cherish; a wife who loves and respects me for who I am, and provides me love and warmth of my heart. About ten years ago, when I was just a stoned party girl whom done nothing but party, I really didn’t see myself as having much of a future… I had plenty partners at the time, but none of them actually made me feel loved; or as if I was actually worth anything more than I thought I was. Like honestly, I could’ve died. I could’ve literally been found dead on a street any one of those mornings, and it wasn’t that I wasn’t aware of that. It’s hard to admit this, because I always thought I was smarter, but I just didn’t care if I’d live or die. Inside my heart, there was this void; a darkness that I tried to fill up by being the life of the party, I was reckless, and all because I wanted to feel something, to stop feeling this empty. I was a mess…</p><p>If someone told me that ten years from then I’d be married and enjoying an evening off with my beautiful wife… Honestly, it would’ve given me hope and will to do better. Sure, it would’ve been a lot better if we weren’t in charge of the entire universe and if everyone on Earth wasn’t dead, but hopefully everything will be restored soon. Maybe we’ll possibly get a chance to retire after all this is back to normal.</p><p>“Hey, hun. What are you up to?” The female voice caught me off guard. I glanced at a clock and saw what time it was. Did I just spend 2 hours daydreaming about my relationship status? What’s wrong with me?</p><p>“Nothing, I was just looking at some pictures while thinking about the past. You know, the usual.” She approached, and gave me a small peck on the forehead.</p><p>“Got any pics from before our time?” Lina chuckled and sat down on the sofa, right next to me.</p><p>“Let me see.” I started to dig through the box filled of trinkets from my own past. The first one I pulled out; it was when I was only 9 years old. Still quite young, and still really optimistic about… well, the entire world. I handed it to the Boss. “God, this one was when I just got used to the school.”</p><p>“Aww, babe, your locks were adorable”</p><p>“God, they were embarrassing… But all other girls were envious they didn’t have them.” I chuckled about it. I was really popular with my friends back in the elementary school. Popularity is something that was never too far away from it. I guess best way to describe it would be to say I am a people’s person.</p><p>At that moment, Lina smiled as she looked at the old picture of mine “Damn, you still have the same spark in your eyes.”</p><p>I blushed upon hearing Lina say that, maybe even chuckled a bit “You already won me, you can stop it now.” I joked to her and then took the picture back from her. “What about this one?” I asked as I pulled out another one. I was 16 in this one.</p><p>Lina took it from my hand, and after glancing at it for a second, she spoke “Damn… you were bad, girl.”</p><p>I laughed at it “Stop it.”</p><p>“I love the flannel look for you. Why did you stop wearing it?” The Boss teased me</p><p>“Well, it’s kinda tacky now…”</p><p>“You kidding? You could pull it off anyway.”</p><p>“Maybe… But just for you…”</p><p>“And deny the world your beauty?” She came closer to my face and gave me a small peck on the lips. It made me remembered that I am finally loved. It was comforting to know that in the times like this.</p><p>“What about you? You owe me your childhood photos now.”</p><p>“Oh shit, let me see…” Lina pulled out her phone and started scrolling over it. There was all this Zin Tech around, but Boss always preferred the simplicity of tech, it was kind of her thing. She must have spent about what? 20 seconds search for her pictures? “What do you think?” The Boss asked me nervously, this wasn’t a tone she’d often talk in which felt quite uneasy at first, but I understood why. Because being vulnerable wasn’t easy for her and honestly, I relate to that so much. Lina then showed me a picture of two kids playing in a backyard. A girl and a boy. It was so weird seeing the Boss before the whole blue hair thing. It’s like she isn’t even the same person anymore which is crazy. I don’t know what I would’ve done in her place, but the Boss seemed to handle the whole thing really easily.</p><p>“Wow, you look so-“</p><p>“Innocent?” She made the joke at a picture, but in her tone, you could tell that there was a bit of truth to it. Well, yeah, obviously, but a hint of self-deprecation too.</p><p>I looked at it a bit closely, examined the kids’ smiles “Hey, you got the same nose” and upon closer inspection I realized something bigger “Wait, the boy’s… Jonathan!?”</p><p>“Yup. I told you, we were best friends since we were kids.”</p><p>“Are you kidding me?! Where is his hat?”</p><p>“He didn’t start wearing it until he was like 16” Lina chuckled “Why, you thought it was his childhood toy?”</p><p>“I thought he came out of the womb with it!”</p><p>“Oh god, he wishes…” Lina said as she pulled her phone back to her.</p><p>“Oooh, this is a good one!” I yelled out as I was pulling out one of the older photos of mine. This one was, hmm, maybe several months before my parents divorced. I handed it to Lina “This was my prom pic.” I remember how happy I was back then. I remember picking this beautiful, yellow dress with rhinestones on it. I mean, I would say it was a ‘golden’ dress, but honestly, it was really yellow. I looked amazing in it. I should wear more of yellow…</p><p>“Damn, I guess yellow is tacky too, now?” The Boss teased me once again. “Who’s the jock?”</p><p>“That was Todd. My date.”</p><p>“Damn, he looks like the type that could rearrange your guts…” Lina commented at my date. He was the most popular guy in school, captain of the football team; and of course, my prom date. One of the perks of being a popular girl, I guess.</p><p>“Ohhh, he could.” I replied to her. “Anyway, we were prom king and queen.”</p><p>“Damn, babe. I didn’t expect less from you.” Lina smiled while looking at the picture. Something in her eyes showed, a bit of pride. It was kinda cute.</p><p>“What about your prom pictures?” I asked</p><p>“Oh…” The smile slowly dropped from her face “I never went on a prom…” Oh… right, for a moment there I was so caught up appreciating my own youth, that I forgot Boss had a troubled childhood herself. “My dad never let me go, plus I was an awkward teen, I don’t even think I’d be able to score a date anyway…”</p><p>“Oh… Sorry, I forgot about the whole father thing…”</p><p>“It’s alright… I don’t really wanna talk about it. I want to leave everything I missed out in the past, if that’s okay.”</p><p>“Yeah, I get you.”</p><p>Boss checked her phone shortly after that and a text she got while we were talking. “It’s staff.” She said with a pause at the end. “They wanna know what we want for dinner.” After that she looked at me, expecting my response. I guess, it was my night to decide on what we’re dining?</p><p>At that moment, I could feel a lightbulb lit up above my head. I had an incredible idea, one of those that comes once every five years. What was it exactly? I will not say just yet. It’s a surprise, but I believe it will be amazing. “Actually,” I responded to the Boss, hopefully she doesn’t catch onto me “I’ll handle that myself. I have a special request for the staff, if you don’t mind.”</p><p>“Of course not, hon.” She responded “I hope it’s delicious.”</p><p>“Oh, it will be, sweetie.” At that moment, I got up from the sofa, and gave my wife a kiss on the lips. I chuckled, and replied “See you at dinner, I guess.”</p><p>Looking at the clock, I saw I didn’t have a lot of time to get everything ready, which is when I picked up my pace and headed towards the weapons development and research. It wasn’t too far away from the quarters, maybe a 10-minute walk.</p><p>When I entered, I hoped to find Miller inside. Ever since we took over the Zin Empire, Miller has spent his time around the RND facilities on the mothership. He’s usually on the same daily routine of researching Zin technologies; from simulation, to the weapons, all the way to the weaponized robots or whatever the fuck they’re called.</p><p>I was just in time to catch Miller, for he was about to get ready to leave the lab. “Miller!” I yelled at him. The kid was scared of me. Of course, I don’t care what he thinks of me, but he still works for me.</p><p>He was startled when I yelled at him “Shaundi, um, uhhh, what are you doing here?” He was confused, he wasn’t used at all of me asking him favors, nor did I really want to, but here we are.</p><p>“I need a favor from you. Something you’re familiar with.”</p><p>“Oh? What is it?” He replied. I would usually ask something like this from Kinzie, considering I knew her a lot longer, and well, she didn’t try to kill me. At least not that I know of. But considering Kinzie was busy with some other assignments far more important, I’ll have to deal with Miller for a while.</p><p>“I need help with the simulation. You think you could do that?”</p><p>“A simulation? Of course, those are my exper-“</p><p>“Great, now listen to me carefully…” As I said that, he flipped through the several pages of his clipboard, and then got ready to write down on a first blank page he found. “I need you to make a special simulation for the Boss. I need it to be-” Not just yet, but I promise you, I will tell you what it is soon. I know, but be patient.</p><p>“Oh, well, sure. That will be easy. What about the other people in it, though?” He asked me.</p><p>“It’s not important. I don’t know, scan her mind? Whatever, just keep the simulation working.”</p><p>“Very well, it’ll be up in an hour or so. I expect a word of praise to the Boss for me.” He commented with a smirk on his face, however, I wasn’t amused.</p><p>“Sure, you have 2 hours to finish it. Good luck.” He said something as I left the conversation and started walking back to my quarters, but I didn’t pay any attention to what it was. I had my own worries, this had to be perfect. Which is why my next step was making the perfect outfits for the both of us.</p>
<hr/><p>Two hours have finally passed, and it was time. Lina already tried texting me a few times to get an answer for what are we having, but I managed to keep it a mystery. I pulled out my message pad, and sent Miller a message to check if the simulation was finished, and if I should bring the Boss yet.</p><p>Just as I could count on, he was on time and ready to execute. You know, when you remove all the brattiness and the fact that he tried to kill us, he’s an alright kid. Maybe I should try and be nicer to him, I suppose.</p><p>I got off my chair, and walked up to Lina, who was in the next room, reading a book.</p><p>As I stood in front of the Boss, she looked up at me “Hey, hon, what’s up? Is the dinner ready?”</p><p>“Yup, it’s a special date night.” I replied to her.</p><p>“Alright, do I need to get dressed into something fancier? Crown on or off? My Empress robes…?” Lina put down her book on a coffee table next to the arm chair, and got up from it.</p><p>“No need, you can be as casual as you want to be. That works perfectly.” I smiled at her. I took her hand and locked our fingers together.</p><p>“Oh, that special?” She flirted with me, as she proceeded to follow me to the simulation pod room.</p><p>“Everything is ready!” Said Miller with an excited tone as we entered the room.</p><p>“Oh, I expected a time travel adventure, not a simulation.” Boss replied, I could feel a hint of disappointment in her voice.</p><p>“Trust me, sweetie, it’s better this way.” I winked at her. I turned towards Matt and passed him a thumb drive, whispering to him “Make sure it’s these outfits.”</p><p>He nodded at me. “It’s ready when you two are.”</p><p>I reached my hand for the Boss “Trust me, honey.”</p><p>“Very well.” Lina replied to me as she entered the pod. “See you on the other side, babe.” It didn’t take me long after that to get in my own pod and join her in the simulation.</p><p>After a few quick moments, I found myself in a very ugly looking room. The gymnasium kind of looked empty, but it didn’t matter, it was familiar to the Boss; her home. I could see the teens around me, they were having fun and dancing to the early 2000s hits. Oh boy, the nostalgia of reliving these songs in this environment really got to me.</p><p>I looked down to see if the outfits are right, and it was perfect. It was exactly as I remembered; a two pieced yellow dress with floral stitching on it. And the hair? Looking at it in my pocket mirror, it was better than I remember it to be. I could actually get used to having a hair like this. It really does look amazing on me.</p><p> As the Boss started materializing next to me, I quickly put away my mirror and turned towards her. I could see that it loaded properly. I know it isn’t exactly giving Boss an option like I had, but I’ve known her for 9 years now, I know what her taste is like. I gave her a long, sparkling midnight blue dress with the wavy bottom part. It complemented her body, and went greatly with her hair condition.</p><p>She looked at her dress “Shaundi, what am I wearing?” and then shortly after looked towards me, just to notice what I was wearing and slowly got the picture. “No… you didn’t…” She got excited, as she started looking around the gymnasium. “You actually made this in a simulation!?”</p><p>I am pretty sure you figured it out by now, but yup, I recreated the prom night Lina never got experience herself. Pretty clever… First, I thought, what if we time travelled? Then I realized, maybe it’d draw too much attention, plus I don’t know how Lina would feel about going back to when she was at her lowest, so I just thought it was best like this for now, at least.</p><p>“Babe, I can’t believe you did all this for me.” I could see a tear drop from her eye as she said it.</p><p>“Well, actually, Matt helped a lot with making it, but yeah, I wanted to give my wife something everyone deserves to have.” I smiled at her.</p><p>Right as I said that, she approached me and wrapped her hands around my waist “You know I love you, right?” and gave me a small peck.</p><p>“Oh, I know” I said with confidence in my voice. “C’mon, let’s try the fruit punch while we still have it.”</p><p>The rest of night went off as all the proms did, we had our photos taken, had fun doing all the cheesy 20-year-old dances, and oh boy, did I forget Macarena. We also had our first ever slow dance, which is kinda sad…</p><p>And after the prom king and queen, we ditched the party like all the cool kids did back in a day, and hit up a fast food dinner, Freckle Bitch’s, to be more specific, when we got outside the simulation. It was wonderful, and it ended with us… Well, I don’t have to elaborate everything, you get the idea. It was one of our best dates yet, and it made me realize; I finally met the love of my life, and I was happy to spend the rest of my life with them.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>